Safety device for clothes wringers



L. S. GUNDERMAN SAFETY DEVICE FOR CLOTHES WRINGERS F'led June 5, 1922 HW X Patented May 26,

assie PATENT osrics.

LESTER S. GUNDERMAN, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CLOTHES WRINGERS.

Application filed June 5,

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, LESTER S. GUNDER- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Clothes Wringers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a certain new and useful improvement in power driven clothes wringers and more particularly to a safety feeding device which enables the operator to feed the clothing to the presser rolls without using the hand as is the ordinary custom. In this practice with power driven rolls the fingers often times become caught between the rolls and are bady injured.

The object of this invention is to provide a feeding device whichcan be readily attached to the ordinary wringer now in use, whereby clothes will be fed to the presser rolls.

It is an object therefore, of this invention to construct a feeding device having an automatic adjustable feedingbar to take care of different thicknesses of clothes beingfe d to the presser rolls.

A further object of this invention isto provide means for conducting the water from under the presser rolls back into the tub from which the clothes are being wrung.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for holding clothes away from the lower edge of wringer and obviate the use of the hands in drawing the clothing out from under the presser rolls. This device forms a guard over the feeding mechanism when it is out of use or in an ineffective position.

Other and further objects and advantages of this invention will be hereinafter set forth and the novel feature thereof defined by the appending claims.

So much only of the wringer frame and accompanying parts are illustrated as are deemed necessary to describe the improvements which are applied thereto.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a wringer frame and rolls to which my 1111- 1922. Serial No. 566,178.

provements are applied and show part of the cover or guard broken away, showing feeding mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken on line XX, Fig. 1, and shows the position that my improved feeder takes when in normal or in an ineffective position.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line a F ig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line X-X and shows the position feeder tallrles in feeding thin clothing to the presser r0 s.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line XX. and shows the position feeder tallrles in feeding thick clothing to the presser ro s. l

In a more particular description of the parts, 1 designates the upright side frame members of the wringer and 2 designates the upper transverse member which unites the uprights; 3 designates the lower transverse member which is also included in the frame structure; 4 and 5 designate the usual wringer rolls which are driven from one end in a well known manner; 6 designates the guards for the gears that drive rolls 4 and 5; 7 designates guard at ends of the rolls which are of a well known form.

Thus far the elements referred to em body well known conventional parts of a power driven wringer.

My improved construction of feeding deyice comprises bearings 9 upon which are mounted shaped members 8 which are c0nnected together by a drain board 10. These have a free backward movement until the drain board abuts member 3, as shown in Fig. 2.

It further has a free forward and upward movement until the curved front edge of the member 8 abuts member 7, it being obvious that the parts are so proportioned that the swinging member is stopped just as the feeding plate has caused theclothing to be gripped by the presser rolls.

Other stops than 7 can be arranged or located on main members 1, but I have shown members 7 used for this purpose. Gonnecting the side plate members 8 is a cross member 11.

In addition to this and directly above member 11 is a member 12 loosely connected to swinging member 8 and having its lower edge abutting member 11. Feeding member 12 can be formed in different shapes, but I prefer to form it into a curve or are of a circle, so it can readily be withdrawn after the clothing has been caught between the presser rolls. Also this member has notches 13 cut in the two uppermost corners that come in contact with members 7 and permit the feeding member to be swung close to but not through the presser rolls.

The bottom edge 14 is formed so to act as a hinge and stop and to allow the top edge to have a suflicient amount of adjustment to take care of heavy clothing being fed to presser rolls.

The rocking member is provided with handles 15 to swing the feeding mechanism upward to feed clothing between the presser rolls. It is desirable to have the feeding members move to ineffective position when the device is out of use. To this end, I employ a coiled spring 16 which is connected at one end to the lower edge of the swinging member, the opposite end being connected to wringer frame 1. A cover 17 is provided for covering the feeding mechanism which has an opening 18 provided for handle 15 to protrude therethrough, for the purpose of operating the feed member, this cover being fastened to the wringer frame.

The cover is formed inthe arc of a cir .cle so as to give the clothing as little resistance as possible while being drawn through the presser rolls, and this cover obviates the use of the hands in drawing clothing out from under the wringer, which is the present custom.

The feeding member is so arranged that when it is at an ineffective position there is a space 19 Fig.2, between it and the presser rolls. I

The combined incline or drain board, formed plates and feed bar are pivotally mounted 011 the wringer frame and require no adjustment in serving its double purpose. It is of course understood that the drain board and formed side plates may be constructed of one piece of material instead of separate pieces.

The location of bearings 9 is below the presser rolls and is set at such a point that the continued curve of. feed bar 12 would come between the presser rolls.

When the top edge of the drain board comes in contact with member 8 it diverts the water being wrung from the clothing back into the tub.

The space 19 is important as in this space portions of clothing are placed by the operator to be acted upon by feed member 12 when the longitudinal edge is swung upward to force the clothing between presser rolls.

There must be an automatic adjustment or rise and fall of the upper longitudinal edge of feed plate 12 to take care of different thicknesses of clothing being fed to the presser rolls.

In'use, the device is applied on the intake side of the wringer and is pivotally mounted under the presser rolls so that the efiective edge of feed member 12 may be moved upwards to co-act with the presser rolls in the manner described and illustrated in Fig. 4, and in Fig. 5. After the device is in place a portion of clothing may be placed in opening 19, then by lifting on the handles 15 the free longitudinal edge will force the clothing upward and inward until they come in contact with the effective point of presser rolls. As soon as the clothing is gripped by the presser rolls the feed bar is stopped by this member abutting the stop member mounted on the wringer frame. Then handle 15 may then be released and the spring 16 will return member 12 to inefiective' position, in which position it is entirely out of the way and will not interfere with the work of the presser rolls.

It is to be understood that this form of my invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred design of the same, and that various minor changes in the shape and arrangement of the parts may be' resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An attachment for a clothes wringer frame having pressure rolls, comprising a frame pivotally mounted on said wringer frame below said rolls, an actuated fe ed plate pivoted by one of its edges to said pivoted frame, the opposite edge of said feed plate being adapted to be swung against clothin'g to force the same between the pressure rolls, and a coiled spring secured to the wringer and pivoted frame to return said pivoted frame to inoperative position.

2. An attachment for a clothes wringer having end members, and presser rolls journalled in said end members, comprising a drain board having side plates pivotally mounted below the presser rolls, a crossmember mounted on said side plates, a curved feed plate hinged to-said side plates above said cross-member said curved feed plate having one longitudinal edge free to automatically adjust itself to different thicknesses of clothing when being fed to presser rolls, and handles mounted on the ends of the side plates for the operating of said feed plate.

3. An attachment for a clothes wringer havin'g end members and presser rolls journaled in said end members, comprising a feed plate having notches on one longitudinal edge which are adapted to abut the end pivoted members for securement below the presser rolls on which the opposite 1ongitudinal edge of the feed plate is hingeably mounted, a handle attached to said pivoted members, stop means on said members for limiting the pivotal movement thereof, the attachment also comprising a curved guard having an opening through which the handle extends, said guard being disposed about the pivoted members and shaped to be mounted in such a position on the end members of the Wringer so that an opening in the top remains for placing clothing on the edge of the guard, said clothing adapted to be lifted therefrom by the feed plate and fed to the rolls upon actuation of the handle.

4. An attachment for a clothes Wringer having end members and presser rolls journaled in said end members comprising side members pivotally mounted on the Wrin'ger frame below the effective point of the presser rolls, a feed plate hinged ther'eto having one longitudinal edge free to swing upward and inward to a point adjacent to the efiective point of the presser rolls, means on the feed plate disposed to contact With the Wringer frame to prevent the feed plate from being carried in between the presser rolls, a handle secured to the side members for operating the same, springs, one end of each being secured to said side members and the other ends being adapted to be secured to the Wringer frame to move said end members and feed plate toan inoperative position, a guard covering the end members and feed plate when in an inoperative position and shaped to be mounted on the Wrin'ger frame in such a position that an opening remains between the top thereof and the presser rolls, for placing clothing thereon to be carried to the presser rolls by the feed plate, upon actuation of the handle.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

LESTER S. GUNDERMAN.

Witnesses:

C. B. MILLIeAN, FLORENCE M. ABBOTT. 

